It was almost midnight, and I was about to head to my chambers when I heard the tapping. No. It wasn’t tapping; it was more of a pecking noise. A visitor, I wonder. Well it can’t be! No one has visited me since Lenore left.

“No.” I tell myself. Everyone visited, but I chose to ignore them. Why would they show up to my door and tell me they were sorry. There is nothing to be sorry for; Lenore just left and she will be back soon. I ignore the constant but rhythmic disturbance at my door. I sink down into my old leather chair like all nights and let my mind wander and take me wherever it pleases. Today it wanted to think of Lenore.

I think about the when she will come back and when this sadness that washes over me every day will finally go away, but my thought is inturupted bt the tapping of the door. I tell myself it’s a visitor once again, but this time a wave of interest hit me. I go up and slowly talked to the door.

“Sorry, but I was sleeping and then I heard the knocking. Can I help you?” I speak to hear no reply. I open the ever so slightly to see no one but the darkness. I was in a state of quandary. I closed the door and I realized the tapping was still there. Joy overrides me before I could even think.

“Lenore?” I call out several times, but she doesn’t answer. She is outside. I cheek ever opening into this house until I find the sound source. It was a window beside my chamber. I unlock the seal that disconnects Lenore from me. I take a deep breath. I open the window, and at first all I see is Darkness, but this time the wind carries a raven right to my window.

It did not stop for a minute, but I heard it say “NEVERMORE.”.

Nevermore? What could that possibly mean? Is that a quote or a title, or it could be a name. That is it. Nevermore is the name of the bird. I spend several minutes staring at Nevermore and it doesn’t move a feather.  I stare until the raven says “NEVERMORE.”

“Well are you going to stay a while or are you going to leave me for your friends.” I ask it replies with one word “NEVERMORE.”

What if nevermore isn’t his name? What if he says nevermore for something he won’t do again, I think. Well what will a bird have done that it would never want to go back to? Maybe a home or a previous owner. A smile appears on my face. My mind began wondering once again, and this time it was not of Lenore. It was of the bird and where it could have possibly came from. For the first time since Lenore has left, my mind decided to not think about her.

I notice the Raven’s eyes it is blood-red. Red like the devil. What if an owner didn’t send this bird? What if a place did to send me a message? The eyes also look as if they have hell fire right inside. No it can’t be. Lenore was a good person and she would never send a bird from hell. Maybe I am imagining things. Oh Lenore probably sent this bird from heaven that’s probably where she went to visit.

“Where did you come from Raven?” I ask not expecting a reply, but it did reply with “Nevermore.” The bird’s cold beak felt like it wounded me heart. The pain started to filter in. Lenore did leave me. She left me alone on this planet. The loneliness and the pain were too much to handle.

“Take your beak out of my heart” I yell at the raven. That’s when the raven sat still and it didn’t say a word. I won’t deny what happened to Lenore any longer. I will accept the truth. I shall not live in lies.

“Nevermore.”